Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design Re: SOAKWELLS - How easy are they to put in and install ? 41Sep 25, 2010 9:56 pm Assuming once again that its a geo-composite cell type soakwell, you drill a hole into any of the sides to suit where your water inlet will be.
Re: SOAKWELLS - How easy are they to put in and install ? 42Sep 25, 2010 11:20 pm Fu, or anyone else that knows about these kinds of things - would these ag pipes or the boxes be any good instead of soakwells for a swimming pool? We are just about to put three soakwells in for the backwash from our pool, but as we are on sand/limestone then if we can avoid digging down too far then it's got to be a good thing. Re: SOAKWELLS - How easy are they to put in and install ? 43Sep 26, 2010 12:29 pm Picketty Fu, or anyone else that knows about these kinds of things - would these ag pipes or the boxes be any good instead of soakwells for a swimming pool? We are just about to put three soakwells in for the backwash from our pool, but as we are on sand/limestone then if we can avoid digging down too far then it's got to be a good thing. These ''boxes'' that i am referring to ARE soakwells and the depth you need to dig is actually less than the traditional concrete soakwells. These are a preferred install for under paving due to their stability. Re: SOAKWELLS - How easy are they to put in and install ? 44Sep 26, 2010 6:19 pm Yes sorry, I didn't write my question very well. What I meant is would they be able to withstand the pressure from the backwash, as opposed to the traditional concrete soakwells that we were thinking of installing? We are going to install them under a garden bed rather than under paving so stability is not such an issue, it's more about them withstanding water pressure. They will be about 15 metres away from the pump, so maybe pressure is not such an issue anyway. And yes as they are shallower than a concrete soakwell, they definitely get my vote when it comes to having to dig the holes. Re: SOAKWELLS - How easy are they to put in and install ? 45Sep 26, 2010 6:49 pm No problems at all I cant see any reason with the geo-composite cell soakwells wouldnt be able to do the job for you. As for digging the holes, i just use one of my mini diggers Re: SOAKWELLS - How easy are they to put in and install ? 46Sep 26, 2010 8:24 pm Backwash usually involves sludges expelled out. Would it block the soakwell and sock? Re: SOAKWELLS - How easy are they to put in and install ? 47Sep 27, 2010 10:52 pm No I have done a few here and there and they are working as good as the day they were done. Have a look at using Ozone as a means of reducing chlorine dependency Or reducing salt use Have I posted any pics of the cubes and different soak wells? Options are... * cheap plastic soakwells. You'll be doing the job twice * Concrete soak wells- You be wishing you used ag drain or a cube. * The ag pipe /ag drain, has a huge surface area for leaching the water back to the soil. One fo these is more effective than one old skool soak well. * The new age drainage cubes which have various marketing names. These are the very best and most effective means to leach water back into the soil. They handle enormous pressures from both cars and internal water pressure. Re: SOAKWELLS - How easy are they to put in and install ? 48Oct 05, 2010 2:28 pm Fu, When you say Ag pipe is equal to old skool soakwells what size are you talking about. I have been trying to work out what to do. The plans of our house states that it needs 4.26m3 of soak wells but even if I put 1 soak well (600 x 600) per drain pipe it wont cover that. Am I over thinking it Re: SOAKWELLS - How easy are they to put in and install ? 49Oct 05, 2010 11:37 pm That is correct. A normal concrete soak well is grossly inefficient at leaching water as such a small surface area is open to the sand. 2 are often needed per down pipe. However like I have said many times, wait till it rains and see which down pipes carry the most volume and concentrate on those ones. The more surface available to leaching water, the more effective the method. This is why the cubes are by far the most effective. They have an enormous surface area available to leach water. They are also the strongest option. Again, don't directly connect a soak well with the down pipe! They must be separated! Drainage should not be underestimated and in many places, Australian standards are not in line with projected increases in severe rain and hail events which look to occur 4 to 6 times as often as they do at present. As an example, Perth should be using gutters more akin to what is used in North Qld, yes we are the fastest drying climate on the globe, but the rain events contributing to the rainfall totals are expected to be far more severe. Our tiny gutters just won't handle the volumes of water. But I will have to wait 10 years to be proven right Re: SOAKWELLS - How easy are they to put in and install ? 50Oct 08, 2010 2:57 pm I need some info if I could please on these drainage cubes.......... I'm building on a small cottage block, so the proposed drainage plan includes 10 downpipes around the house with the pipe basically running around the perimeter of the house, starting at my parapet wall and terminating in 2 concrete soakwells (1200 x 1500) out the front of the house (~3200L capacity). What size cubes would I need to use to have a comparable system as proposed by the council? Re: SOAKWELLS - How easy are they to put in and install ? 51Oct 08, 2010 3:51 pm I Pm'd you the details of the person that did mine. mine's a cottage block with 9 or 10 (i forget ) DWP. ~$1000 all done and dusted. DIY would be about the same, galvins sell them but its not worth the digging for me. Garden - viewtopic.php?f=19&t=44214&p=670323#p670323 Decorating - viewtopic.php?f=6&t=47218&p=715743#p715743 Re: SOAKWELLS - How easy are they to put in and install ? 53Oct 12, 2010 3:13 pm shonzilla I Pm'd you the details of the person that did mine. mine's a cottage block with 9 or 10 (i forget ) DWP. ~$1000 all done and dusted. DIY would be about the same, galvins sell them but its not worth the digging for me. Shonzilla, could you pretty please PM me this info too? Sounds great! I was sceptical when you first talked about such a bargain but you sound very happy with the results. Re: SOAKWELLS - How easy are they to put in and install ? 54Oct 12, 2010 10:45 pm You will know how good they are when we finally get a solid down pour. And we are yet to have one since March Re: SOAKWELLS - How easy are they to put in and install ? 55Oct 12, 2010 10:52 pm Fu Manchu You will know how good they are when we finally get a solid down pour. And we are yet to have one since March Fu, are you able to give me an idea of how many and/or big cubes I would need if I do go the DIY path? Quote: I need some info if I could please on these drainage cubes.......... I'm building on a small cottage block, so the proposed drainage plan includes 10 downpipes around the house with the pipe basically running around the perimeter of the house, starting at my parapet wall and terminating in 2 concrete soakwells (1200 x 1500) out the front of the house (~3200L capacity). What size cubes would I need to use to have a comparable system as proposed by the council? Cheers! Re: SOAKWELLS - How easy are they to put in and install ? 56Oct 12, 2010 11:23 pm One per down pipe But really you might want to see in a heavy rain (maybe 5-6 months away (and geeze I hope I jinxed us ) ) because not all down pipes are going deliver the same volumes and often you can link two that flow less into one soak well/ag drain/ drainage cube and save some coin Re: SOAKWELLS - How easy are they to put in and install ? 57Oct 13, 2010 6:48 am I'll barge in with this little interruption as I am new to soakwells and have no idea what they are. So, a quick Google search came up with some info to define what they actually are ... so here are some extracts from a few sites: Soakwells are a requirement in Perth. By law in WA, homeowners must have soakwells installed to dispose of all their rainwater, and stormwater. A soakwell is an innovation whereby rain water travels to a designated area and seeps into the surrounding soil. Soakwells are found near downpipes leading from gutters on practically most outdoor habitations. Typically soakwells are made of cement, PVC, or plastic and may be found with or without concrete pavers or lids which resist pressure from above. A soakwell can range in size from 600mmx600mm to several meters in diameter. Soakwells are typically 500mm to 300mm below ground with the bottom edges varying in depth between 900mm to 2m. Soakwells are important in maintaining the integrity of a building’s foundation. We do not recommend PVC soakwells. Every week we upgrade systems that have caused damage due to insufficient volume or collapsed PVC soakwells. etc. etc. Are they used in NSW? Or, is there an "equivalent" structure here? My signature is distracting people from my wise posts ... Re: SOAKWELLS - How easy are they to put in and install ? 58Oct 13, 2010 11:27 am Yes and this is mostly in sandy soils. I have posted NSW examples before but you will need to search my posts to do it. DIY, Home Maintenance & Repair I mean, I install them/sell them for a living so I haven't done DIY, unless you count the first one I installed lol. (electrician by trade). Usually a 6-8 hour job for… 3 41589 That's a fantastic result! Happy you got it sorted out. cheers Simeon 6 8671 0 10135 |